hip hip hooray for evelyn mae!

9 month stats

2012-03-14T13:07:00.001-07:00

28 1/2" tall (75th percentile)
19 lbs, 9.4oz (65th percentile)
44 cm head circumference (45th percentile)

new backpack

2012-03-13T15:03:00.000-07:00

I got Evelyn her first backpack last week. I know she's far too young, but it was on sale and I couldn't resist, knowing that I'd have to get her one eventually anyway. It's a super cute cow backpack, and she loves it!

9 months

2012-03-12T12:33:00.000-07:00

PCOS update

2012-03-09T13:09:00.000-08:00

This isn't necessarily an Evelyn post, but it does relate to having children.

Most people who read this blog know that I was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome back in 2010. There are so many super fun side effects, including weight gain (and inability to lose weight), insulin resistance, body hair, acne, diabetes, hormonal imbalance, infertility,and an irregular menstrual cycle. I know, super great. I was dealing with most of those symptoms when I was diagnosed. I don't think that I had actually ovulated in over a year.

When I was diagnosed, my doctor put me on Metformin. While this is often used to prevent/treat diabetes, it also helps with PCOS. It helped me to lose 20 pounds, as well as caused me to begin ovulating again. I got pregnant with Evelyn three months later.

Now that I've had Evelyn, and my body is back to "normal," I'm beginning to see the symptoms of PCOS creep back up again. I cannot lose weight, and it's driving me crazy. I do cardio 4-5 days a week, yet nothing. My menstrual cycle is out the window again. And my acne is as bad as ever. Before going back to the doctor though, I've decided to try something new.

I heard about Royal Bee Jelly in my PCOS support group online. Some women who have taken it no longer suffer from PCOS at all, and others have had their symptoms greatly reduced. It's kind of yucky to think about, but you can read more about what it is here.

So I've decided to give it a try. If it doesn't work, I'm not any worse off than I am right now. If it does work, my body will be healthier. Not to mention I will save money by not going to the doctor, and not receiving expensive prescriptions that simply force you to ovulate, not actually solve the problem.

I'll keep you updated, but it should take a few months before I notice any changes.

reading

2012-03-08T12:55:00.000-08:00

those girls

2012-03-08T12:39:00.003-08:00

Evelyn laughing at Ruby, who is attempting to catch pepperoni. I know, super random.

Even funnier is how hard Evelyn is laughing right now as she watches this video. Here's that:

these days

2012-03-07T09:37:00.002-08:00

I've been trying to write a new post for a few days now, but every time I bring up the blog I get distracted by that adorable little face in my last post. Seriously. Scroll down and just stare at her for a few minutes.

Gorgeous.

Okay, back.

I have begun a new chapter in my life entitled "Don't Be A Hermit." And Evelyn is an important part of that. I mean, once she gets older, it's her choice if she wants to lock herself up in her room with 7 delicious books to keep her company. But that will be her choice, not something she does because we have no other options.

So hopefully we'll be getting together with Shannon and Hunter once a week. Shannon is a friend of my Mom's, and a new friend of mine. Hunter is a couple months younger than Evelyn, but the little monster is already crawling all over the place and pulling himself up to walk. Crazy kid. I mean monster in the nicest of ways though - I call Evelyn a little monster too. We are hoping that Hunter can motivate Evelyn to start moving. Shannon is also hoping that Evelyn can teach Hunter to sit quietly and play with toys for longer than 27 seconds.

We'll get together with Laura and little Marilyn once or twice a week too. They are part of my self-imposed masochistic attempt to lose weight, so we walk with our girls and strollers.

Every Monday Evelyn and I head to the library for a little Mommy & Me time. We hang out with 11 other moms and their babies, all under a year old. The babies, not the moms. For the first half of the 45 minutes we sing, clap, bounce, rhyme, and sign with our babies. The second half is when all the little monsters get to run amuck and play with toys that the library has. Well, most of them run amuck. A few of the babies, like Evelyn, aren't really mobile yet. Some are too young and some, like her, are too stubborn to try. Or lazy.

Saturday mornings I ditch the baby with Kevin and head back to the library for an hour of free yoga. My sister comes too. While this is a new addition to the schedule, I'm hoping to continue. Before last week, I'd only done yoga twice in my whole life. So my shining accomplishment last Saturday was that I didn't fall over. WIN!

So that's what our weeks look like these days. It's fun to see other people, and it helps to break up the monotony of staying home with Evelyn every day. I'll admit it, sometimes I can get bored. Not like there's-nothing-to-do-bored, more like I'm-so-sick-of-doing-the-same-thing-every-day-bored.

that smile

2012-03-01T12:45:00.002-08:00

teeth

2012-03-01T12:42:00.000-08:00

If you've ever tried to take pictures of your baby's teeth, you understand that they turn out something like this:

Despite the lack of photographic evidence, I promise you that they're there. Two pointy little teeth on her bottom gum.

sleepover

2012-02-26T15:15:00.000-08:00

On Friday night, Evelyn had her first sleepover with Grandma and Grandpa. She had a great time playing and snuggling with them. She had no problems sleeping through the night, and proved once again what a sweet, easy baby she is.

playing in the morning

It was the first night that Kevin and I have had to ourselves since Evelyn was born more than eight months ago. It was a welcome break. We had a dinner date at P. F. Changs, and then brought dessert home for later. We could stay up late and sleep in. But I missed my little girl. When we got home and I saw one of her pacifiers on our bed, I got a little misty. And I had to close her bedroom door because it made me sad to see her crib empty. I was happy to see her on Saturday morning when we picked her up. :)

loving grandpa

2012-02-20T19:25:00.001-08:00

eskimo kisses

bath time

2012-02-20T19:15:00.000-08:00

two milestones in one day!

2012-02-19T07:23:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Evelyn finally started holding her own bottle! I'm not sure if she's doing this early or late (probably late), but I'm so glad she's finally doing it! She first did it months and months ago, but then stopped. It's like she just wanted to prove she could, but then didn't want to be bothered with it anymore.

She also began clapping. She mimics me when I do it, a huge grin on her face.

When Kevin saw her just grab her bottle and stick it in her mouth, and then put it down and clap, he was amazed and exclaimed "Who IS this kid?!"

best friends

2012-02-15T12:54:00.000-08:00

Ruby and Evelyn love each other more than ever. They play with toys together, snuggle together, and just generally like each other. Evelyn has been sick, and whenever she coughs, Ruby jumps up and goes to her, even butting doors open with her head. And when Evelyn is inconsolable because of teething pain, she calms down when I put her on the couch with Ruby. I just have to keep an eye on them, because otherwise Evelyn starts gnawing on Ruby's tail. It doesn't bother Rue, but I think it is a bit gross.

So here are some photos of what a typical daily playtime looks like:

And here's some cuddle-time on the couch:

8 months

2012-02-12T08:32:00.000-08:00


8 months old - happy valentine's day!

little red nose - poor sick girl!

what's up, unicorn?

lost the skirt

daddy's here!

mama!

2012-02-10T15:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a day I've been looking forward to for a long time - Evelyn started saying Mama!

Well, technically it's mamamamamamamama. And she doesn't associate it with me yet. But it's a super fun step towards that!

My baby is 8 months old today. We're going to have to wait until tomorrow to post her monthly photo though. She and I both have colds, although Evelyn is feeling worse than I am. In addition to the general teething pain she's in, she also caught Kevin's cough. Poor baby. She's just feeling miserable, I can tell. So I'm not getting much done around the house this week, but I'm getting some good snuggle time in with my girl.

Kevin and I have plans to celebrate Valentine's Day tomorrow, but I think they're off. A sick baby needs her mama and daddy, so we'll probably spend the weekend home together. Maybe next weekend.

saber-toothed baby

2012-02-06T07:24:00.000-08:00

Evelyn got her first tooth yesterday! A sharp little tooth broke skin on her bottom gum. We can't see it, but we can definitely feel it!

She was such a trooper. Last week was rough, although I didn't know why. Evelyn was just fussy all week long. She didn't eat or sleep quite as well as usual either. I thought she was just having a bad week - we're all entitled to them. The thought of teething crossed my mind, but she didn't seem to have the symptoms. Her gums weren't red or swollen, no fever, no throw up, no excessive drooling. And I never felt anything when I put my finger in her mouth.

Then yesterday, on our way to my parents' house to watch the Superbowl, Evelyn put my finger in her mouth. I thought I felt something hard, but she didn't let me look, and I chalked it up to wishful thinking. But then my mom felt around too, and declared that Evelyn had a tooth! I promptly grabbed my baby and hugged her, telling her how proud I was of her.

It's nice to know that there was a reason for Evelyn's fussiness last week.

eskimo kisses

2012-02-02T07:29:00.000-08:00

Evelyn and I regularly give each other eskimo kisses. I rub my nose on Evelyn's, and she leans in and holds still. I realized last night that while we do this all the time, Kevin hasn't really seen it, so we showed him. He found it adorable. I think it is a super cute way for Evelyn and I to show our love.

We are starting to work on crawling. This is not easy with a baby who hates being on her tummy. I typically put her on her tummy and she rolls over within 3 seconds, then plays contentedly on her back. I think I may have found the key though - involve Ruby. Evelyn adores Ruby beyond measure. So yesterday I put Evelyn on her stomach, but I put a pillow under her tummy. Legs down and bent on one side, tummy supported, and then arms and chest on the other side of the pillow. Evelyn started to whine, which brought Ruby into the room. Rue lay down right by Evelyn's head, and then Evelyn was able touch and play with Ruby, forgetting she was on her stomach. This lasted for 10-15 minutes, which is a record for this child. Baby steps.

After crawling practice, Ruby stayed with us while we played on the floor. Evelyn sat right next to her dog, patting her and pulling her tail and ears. I handed Evelyn a toy, which she gnawed on for 5 seconds, and then she held it out to Ruby's face for her to lick. We repeated this with 5 or 6 different toys. It was so sweet. I love that my precious baby is already learning how to share. And I find it remarkable that she recognizes Ruby's mouth, knowing that that's where the toy should go. I had such fun playing with my girls yesterday, and I'm so glad that they like each other.

bah bah bah bah

2012-01-26T16:22:00.000-08:00

what's up, cutest baby ever?

2012-01-24T11:38:00.000-08:00

2012-01-19T18:52:00.000-08:00

grrrrr...

2012-01-19T10:20:00.000-08:00

After much contemplation, I have come to the realization that everything weird that my daughter does is because of me.

Yesterday Evelyn began growling. Loudly. In the waiting room of a doctor's office. For 45 minutes.

My mom and I couldn't stop laughing, and most of the other people in the very full room enjoyed it as well. And the more we laughed, the more she growled. That's such a fun aspect of her personality. She loves to make other people laugh, even at just seven months old.

Evelyn seems to have evolved from yelling (see the video a few posts back) to growling. And in doing so, she made me realize that she is simply doing her little baby versions of the noises I make while playing with her.

I wonder what will be next.

year 28

2012-01-14T22:23:00.000-08:00

I turned 29 today. It doesn't seem like a very big deal. Even knowing I'm just one year away from 30, I still feel like "meh, whatever." We got together with my parents and grandparents last night and played games, but it wasn't a party. I feel a bit as if I've outgrown birthday parties... at least my own.

Year twenty-eight was a great one. I spent the first half growing a baby, and the second half getting to know her. And both halves were delightful.

I look at Evelyn every single day and marvel at her. Her hands, her smile, her eyes, her voice, her personality, her stubbornness, her mind. All little replicas of me and Kevin, for better or for worse.

Talking with my mom today, I told her that I believe you choose to love your spouse. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think that I chose to love Kevin, and I continue to make that decision every day.

But loving your child? That's not a choice, that's an inevitability. You can't help it. I know in my heart that Evelyn will never be able to do anything to cause me to love her less. I may be sad, or grieved, or disappointed, but my love will never change.

It's eye-opening. Once you have a child, and then as that child grows, you understand a completely new facet of God. Nothing we can ever do will make Him love us more or less than He already does. Rather relieving, isn't it? And while I knew that before, I didn't comprehend it to the extent I do now, as Evelyn's Mama.

Rambling a bit? Yes, though I usually leave that to my increasingly-talkative daughter. But year 28 was a great one, and I'm sure there are wonderful things in store for my 29th year.

beginning my 28th year

beginning my 29th year

old yeller... plus dancing

2012-01-12T08:45:00.000-08:00

Evelyn has this hilarious yelling/grunting thing that she does now. The strange part is, she only does it around me. Kevin was taking care of her last night while I was painting in the kitchen and Evelyn didn't do it once. But when she saw me walk in the room, she started up. So funny. So I recorded it this morning.

She also started dancing for the first time this morning. And I caught that on the video too! We had baby praise music on in the background, and she heard it between yells. You can see her turn around and listen, then start bouncing and dancing. So glad I caught it!

i can sit!

2012-01-10T18:13:00.000-08:00